--G John Salmons won the head-to-head matchup against Ben Gordon on Wednesday. Salmons led the Bulls with 22 points and hit seven of 12 shots. Gordon, who came off the bench for Detroit, scored 18 points and went 6-for-16 from the field in his first game back from a sprained left ankle.

--F James Johnson hasn't played at all in the last two games, even though he produced a season-high 10 points in his previous outing at Utah on Nov. 26. When coach Vinny Del Negro is asked about Johnson, he usually praises his defense in practice and suggests he needs to do a better job finding playing time for the rookie.

--G Derrick Rose got a laugh out of being named Chicago's sexiest athlete in a contest sponsored by Victoria's Secret.

"It's pretty high (on his list of accomplishments)," Rose said with a smile. "It's something I'll be telling my kids, plus my nieces and nephews about... when I'm old and wrinkled."

MEDICAL WATCH:

--G Kirk Hinrich (sprained left thumb) injured the thumb during a Nov. 25 practice and was relieved when an MRI exam showed no tear in the ligament. He's missed two games, but is hoping to return soon.

--F Tyrus Thomas (broken left arm) is expected to be out until early December after breaking the radius in his left forearm. This was a freak accident that occurred while Thomas did a pull-up during a weightlifting session at the Berto Center. A metal plate was used to repair the break during surgery on Nov. 7.

--C Jerome James (torn right Achilles' tendon) hasn't played since early last season when he was with the Knicks. No one is counting on any contributions from him, but he's vowed to get healthy and play sometime this season. He's starting to run again, but needs to pass a fitness test before he'll be allowed to practice.